PRO BASKETBALL

PRO BASKETBALL; Liberty Clinches Spot, but It's Holdsclaw's Night

By LYNN ZINSER

Published: August 9, 2002

Madison Square Garden was supposed to be enemy territory for Chamique Holdsclaw and the Washington Mystics last night. But thanks to a warm pregame greeting and what seemed like whole sections full of her friends and family, Holdsclaw felt right at home, which, of course, she was.

''I love playing here at the Garden,'' Holdsclaw said after scoring 22 points. ''It's like the mecca of basketball. Even the lighting makes it like a stage.''

Holdsclaw added the Mystics' 65-54 victory over the Liberty to her fond memories of playing in her home city, tacking it onto a list that includes four New York state championships at Christ the King High School in Middle Village, Queens. The Liberty clinched a playoff berth despite the loss, and the Mystics ended a seven-game losing streak.

''They're the ones that started our losing streak,'' she said. ''We ended it here. It feels good.''

It also improved the Mystics' playoff chances, while putting a kink in the Liberty's drive to gain home-court advantage through the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Liberty (17-12), which clinched a playoff spot because of Orlando's loss, are only a game ahead of the Mystics (16-13) in the East with three to play, including the back end of a home-and-home tonight in Washington.

With its playoff fate in its hands the past two games, the Liberty has lost to Minnesota and Washington, games that seemed easy pickings.

The Mystics had not won since July 18. Holdsclaw has been hobbled by sore knees and sprained ankles, missing nine games.

It didn't show last night, although Holdsclaw didn't have one of her best shooting games. She was 5 of 15 from the field, but did everything else well, hitting all 10 free throws and grabbing 15 rebounds. She dominated stretches of both halves.

''She made things happen for other players, kicked the ball out to the wing a lot,'' Mystics forward Stacey Dales-Schuman said. ''That's the kind of all-around game we need her to have.''

A Holdsclaw 3-pointer gave the Mystics a 41-27 lead with 15 minutes 28 seconds left, their biggest lead of the night. The Liberty immediately staged a 13-2 run to cut the lead to 3 points with 9:46 left, but that's where it ended when the Liberty came up empty on four straight possessions.

''The only one who did it for us was Tari Phillips,'' Liberty Coach Richie Adubato said.

Phillips, the team's gifted center, finished with 22 points, shooting 10 of 15; the rest of her team managed just 12 of 44 from the field.

The Liberty's disappointment was Holdsclaw's relief. She has been having a wonderful season. She leads the league with a 20.5 scoring average and 11.5 rebounds per game. She isn't listed as the scoring leader, however, because she has played in only 17 of her team's 29 games.

She also endured the death of her grandmother, June Holdsclaw, earlier this summer. Holdsclaw was raised by her grandmother in Astoria, Queens. Holdsclaw later won three national championships at Tennessee, and her combined record in high school and college was 237-21. In four seasons in the W.N.B.A., she has gone 37-60 with the Mystics.

''I take it back to something my grandmother taught me a long time ago: to make the best with what you have,'' Holdsclaw said. ''You're not going to have everything you want. What you do have, you have to appreciate.''

Last night, she had a lot to appreciate about being home.

Photo: Chamique Holdsclaw, left, scored 22 points and had a game-high 15 rebounds to lead the Mystics last night. (Associated Press)